Voices of Reason - Rob Boston: Taking Liberties

Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do

In this forcefully argued defense of the separation of church and state, Robert Boston makes it clear that the religious freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment is an individual right, the right of personal conscience, not a license allowing religious organizations to discriminate against and control others. Examining the controversy over birth control, same-sex marriage, religion in public schools, the “war on Christmas,” and other topics, Boston makes recommendations for resolving clashes between religious-liberty claims and individual rights.

Rob Boston is the director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the editor of Church & State magazine. He is the author of Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State, Close Encounters with the Religious Right, and The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition. He is also a frequent contributor to the Humanist, and his articles have appeared in Free Inquiry, Skeptical Inquirer, Conscience, and other publications.

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